Game apparatus.



W. W. HALL.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 2, 191sv 1,102,501 Patented July 7, 1914.

HIHHHHH" ITNESSES: I III VENTUR- BROOKLYN, YORK, ASSIGNOB F O E-HALF To JosErIa ZB M, 0E BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

warren w. HALL, or

orrren.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented July *7, 1914.

Application filed August 2, 1913. Serial No. 782,557.-

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER WV. HALL, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Aqpparatus, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates particularly to what are known as games of bowling, commonly called ten pins, and which involve an alley-way and pins adapted to be placed thereon; and the object of the invention .is to provide improved means whereby the exact placing of the pins on the alley-way, or the exact spotting of the pins in the desired position will be assured, and whereby the placing of the pins in a vertical position on the'alley-way will be impossible, except when said pins are placed in their proper or exact position, thus doing away with the annoyance and dissatisfaction caused by careless or incompetent pin setters, or pin boys, failing to place the pins on their allotted places, or in their proper positions.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification of which the ac.- companying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of a pin and a part of an alley-way and showing my improvement; Fig. 2 a View similar to Fig. 1, but showing a modification; Fig. 3 a

view similar to Fig. 1, but on an enlarged scale, and showing the sin partly raised, and; Fig.4; a view simi ar to Fig. 1 but on an enlarged scale and showing the pin in a different position.

In the drawing forming part of this specification, I have shown at a an ordinary bowling pin and at b a part of an alley-way, and in the practice of my invention, as shown in Fig. 1, I form in the alley-way, a chamber 6 which is covered by a plate f countersunk in the alley-way and held in place by screws F, or in any desired manner, and the plate f is provided with a central aperture f adapted to re- 'ceive a part of a ball 0 supported on a spring d secured in the bottomof the cham.

her 0. Countersunk in the bottom of the pin (4 1s a recessed plate 9 having a central recess g which is are-shaped in cross section and the depth of which is approximately ;one-th1rd of the diameter of the ball 0, or

less, and the curve'of the are on which the said recess is formed is the same as the curve of the circumference of the ball 0,

and said ball closely fits in said recess when the pin is in positlon.

The spring (5 on which the ball 0 is placed held in place, and the balls is normally pressed by sald spring against the bottom of the apertured plate f, and approximately one-third of the ball, or less, fits in the aperture f and part of said ball passes through said aperture and fits in the recess 9 in the plate 9. The chamber of the ball and the transverse dimensions and the depth of the chamber 0 and the form and dimensions of said spring are such as to permit of; the free vertical and free lateral movement of said ball 0 in said chamber .a distance approximately equal to one-third. of the diameter of the ball, or over, and

the walls of the central aperture in the apertured plate f are beveled to correspond with the curve of the are on which the res cess in the plate 9 is formed. "With this constructionthe ball 0 may be depressed.

from a third to a half of its diameter, or more, and if the pin a be moved laterally, with the construction shown in Fig. 1, the ball 0 will be depressed into the chamber 6, as the pin passes therethrough, but will immediately assume its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1 and the pin may be placed in position, as will be readily understood, and the ball 0 will serve as a means for insuring that said pin be placed in its proper or exact position.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2, the chamber 6 is formed in the pin a, the plate 7 connected with the bottom of said pin and the spring and ball (Z and 0 in said chamber, while the recessed plate 9 is J'lac edv in the alley-way b, and with this construction the operation will be the same, the ball 0 serving as a means for insuring the proper placing of the pin, and if the pin be struck by a bowling ball, the operation of the ball 0 will be the same as that hereinbefore described. The correct operation of this 0011- struction depends entirely upon the size or dimensions of the chamber 6, and the method of supporting the ball in said chamber, and in the fact that the aperture in the plate f is formed centrally therein and is also of much less transverse dimensions than said chamber 6, this construction permits the ball- 0 to be entirely depressed in the chamber 6, and also permits of the free lateral movement of said ball in said chamber, which lateral movement is necessary inv placing a game of ten pins involving the use of pins and an alley way.

' In Fig. 4, I have shown the position the ball 0 assumes when the pin a is moved laterally, and it will be understood that when the pin a is struck by a bowling ball, unless said pin is lifted off the alley-way, the ball 0 will assume a position in the chamber 0 similar to that shown in Fig. 4.

I am aware that apparatus of this class involving a construction somewhat similar to mine, have heretofore been employed, but in all apparatus of this class, heretofore used, the chamber 6 has'been so small that it would not permit of the lateral and vertical movement of the ball 0, as herein shown and described, and this free lateral movement of said ball must be provided'for in order that it will be free to move in any direction when the pin a is struck by a bowling ball.

My invention is not limited to a spiral spring (Z, and other forms of spring may be employed, but with this exception the construction employed must be similar to that herein shown and described, or such as to permit the ball 0 to move freely and easily in a vertical and lateral direction within the chamber 0, Whether said chamber be Copies of this patent may, be, obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

formed in the alley-way, or in the pin, as

shown inFigsI and2. I

My'inv'ent-ion is also not limited to the game of ten pins, but may be employed in any game employing bowling pins and an with a countersunk recessed plate and the other with a chamber closed by a centrally apertured and countersunk plate, a spring placed in the bottom of said chamber and aball placed on said spring and normally pressed thereby against said apertured plate, the recess in the recessed plate being arc-shaped in cross section and the depth thereof being approximately one-third, or-

less, of the diameter of said ball, the curve of the are on whlch said recess is formed being the same as the curve of the circum- ,ference of said ball, and the aperture in the apertured plate being of such dimensions as to receive approximatelyone-third of said ball, the diameter ofthe ball and the transverse dimensions and the depth of said chamber and the form and dimensions of said spring being such as to permit of the free vertical and lateral movement of said ball-in said chamber a distance approxi mately equal to one-third of the diameter of the ball, or over, and the walls ,of'the central aperture in the apertured plate be-- ing also beveled or curved to correspond with the curve of the are on which the recess in' the recessed plate is formed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 31st day of Julyv19l3.

WALTER W. HALL.

Witnesses: e

C. MULREANY, S. ANDREWS.

Washingtdn, D. 0. v 

